Chiefs fans will need to keep faith in us – Gatland

WARREN Gatland has called on Chiefs fans to be patient with his side who are on a run of seven straight defeats in Super Rugby.

The three-time Six Nations Grand Slam-winning coach with Wales oversaw a record seventh loss in the 21-17 defeat to the Blues on Sunday.

And as they face the Crusaders next weekend, Gatland said: “I think long term this team is really going to benefit.

“Some of those youngsters are going to remember these experiences and be better for it as players. And we are exposing some youngsters to this top level of rugby which is really going to enhance our depth. “It’s been a good challenge. “When you’ve been around a long time, it’s not the first time you’ve been in a situation when you’ve dropped a few games. It’s how do you respond? I think we’re training well and have prepared well for games.

“I make sure I question myself each week. Are we doing the right things? How are we preparing?

“We think we’re doing that well and every game is about learning from those experiences.

“Last week was about us starting well and we didn’t come home as we should have.

“This week we showed some great fight in terms of staying in that game and getting ourselves in front, and we had a chance to win at the end.

“You’ve seen teams when they’ve dropped a few games and the heads go down, the effort goes and they capitulate.

“I’m proud of these guys because they didn’t do that.

“They have just kept fighting. We haven’t had a lot of luck, but what’s brilliant is these guys, from 14-0 down, they fought back. I’m proud of that performance.”

Meanwhile, pundit Stuart Barnes says Gatland’s Chiefs could be heading for nine Super Rugby Aotearoa defeats because the team seems to be struggling with his “conservative European ways’’.

And the former England and Lions No. 10, writing in The Times, also believes Gatland was grappling with “the freewheeling New Zealand approach.

Barnes also said Gatland was “the epitome of a northern hemisphere coach, if not riskfree then risk-averse”.

And he added: Nine consecutive defeats is a distinct possibility.

“Such a record isn’t easy for any coach to gloss over, let alone the Lions coach.”